The San Bernardino County Superior Court issued an order to temporarily halt the retroactive release of police personnel records in response to SEBA’s legal challenge regarding Senate Bill 1421. Senate Bill 1421, which went into effect at the beginning of this year, called for the release of certain peace officer personnel records, including uses of force resulting in death or great bodily injury, officer-involved shootings and sustained incidents of dishonesty or sexual assault. SEBA sought to clarify that the law applies only to incidents occurring after January 1, 2019. SEBA retained Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC (RLS) to f...

SAN BERNARDINO – The Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association filed a legal challenge today against retroactive enforcement of Senate Bill 1421 and asked for an urgent stay against the County of San Bernardino from applying the bill to public records requests of incidents before Jan. 1, 2019. Senate Bill 1421, effective at the beginning of 2019, created four distinct categories in which peace officer personnel records would become public record. While SB 1421 represents a significant change in the laws relating to disclosure of peace officer personnel files going forward, the legislation does not condone the release of those files relating to...

Our whole-hearted support is behind our deputy who was shot early this morning while on patrol in Adelanto. We are praying for complete healing and trust he is receiving the best medical care. “Our membership is tough and resilient and I know our deputy is fighting strong to recover,” said Sgt. Grant Ward, SEBA President. “Our association is ready to provide any assistance needed during this time.” SEBA members enter this profession knowing danger is eminent and injury is possible. But knowledge of those inherent risks cannot soften the impact of learning that a friend and colleague has been shot. Brazen attacks like this do not so...

By: Phil Jonas, District Attorney Investigator and SEBA Secretary You may have noticed your take home pay decreased on the July 18th paycheck. This reduction is a result of SBCERA changing the contribution rates. SBCERA employer and member contribution rates are set annually. Changes to the rates are determined by financial studies conducted by independent actuaries. The Board of Retirement reviews and sets contribution rate increases or decreases on the basis of these studies each fiscal year. The most recent rate change took effect last month. If you compare your 7/18 pay stub to your 7/4 paystub, you will notice that your retirement contri...

The salary schedule, better known as “the steps,” has been restored outside of negotiations for the Safety and Safety Management units through a collaborative effort between SEBA negotiation team leaders, the Sheriff and County officials. Effective April 14, 2018, members who are not already at the top of the salary schedule will advance one “step” every six months (1,040 hours worked); this is a change from the previous requirement to work one year (2,080 hours) per step. If a member has already accrued 1,040 hours at his or her current step, he or she will immediately be moved to the next step on April 14th. In continued support of his troo...

We are extremely disheartened by a federal jury’s recent decision in a wrongful death suit involving one of our members and offer our full support to Dep. Kyle Woods through this time. The use of deadly force is a somber reality of the law enforcement profession. Our members go to work praying for peaceful contacts, while having to stay tactically ready to defend themselves and the community against acts of violence. Kyle was compelled to preserve his own life with the use of deadly force. Kyle suffered a broken nose from being struck several times in the face and a concussion from having his head savagely pounded into the concrete. Our membe...

Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association of San Bernardino County Statement SAN BERNARDINO – As news of another school shooting breaks the hearts of our collective nation, we are reminded of the importance of having trained law enforcement personnel on our school campuses. We stand with our colleagues at the Los Angeles School Police Department in their efforts to keep the children of the Los Angeles School District safe and condemn the actions of misguided activists and political opportunists who seek to remove law enforcement from school campuses. Violence on our school campuses are at epidemic levels and studies show violence is less likel...

By: Lolita Harper Christina Lopez straggled into a classroom last fall where she was to spend the next 10 weeks to complete the terms of her juvenile probation. She stood with her arms crossed and gave very little eye contact to any of the instructors. If she gazed in the direction of one of the deputies at the Fontana Station’s juvenile mentoring program, it was to roll her eyes at their presumably empty talk. By the end of the 10 weeks 15-year-old Christina still did not want to lift her gaze to deputies but this time it was because she was crying – sad the Fontana Station A.C.T.S. juvenile mentoring program was over for her. Finizia Barber...

SAN BERNARDINO – SEBA member Dep. Larry Falce was pronounced dead today after a valiant battle to regain consciousness following a violent attack during a minor traffic collision on New Year’s Eve. Larry, a 36-year veteran of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, was driving on Dec. 31 when he was involved in a traffic collision around 11 a.m. at the intersection of University Avenue and Kendall Drive. At some point after the collision, Larry, 70, contacted the people in the other car and was brutally attacked. Larry was transported to the hospital where he fought to regain consciousness. His fight ended January 2. We want people to...

By: Lolita Harper Kenny Lutz, a lieutenant at West Valley Detention Center, looks forward to the holiday season and the ample opportunity for charitable giving during this time. Each year, Lutz — along with several of his coworkers — would faithfully give his time to a charity that involved collecting toys for children. This year, when that charity no longer welcomed help from law enforcement, Lutz became the catalyst for a homegrown program to benefit children at San Antonio Hospital in Upland. Lutz, together with Sgt. Gary Esmond, Karen Schreiner and a team of purposeful deputies, created the San Antonio Santas program that not ...

The Sun and KPCC’s investigative series highlighted officer-involved shootings in San Bernardino County into moving vehicles but ignored the most prolific example of the success of this practice: the December 2nd terrorist attack. The conclusion of the most horrific event in the county’s history played out in a fiery gun battle that began with high-caliber rounds exchanged between the suspects’ black Suburban and law enforcement vehicles. Yet the title and tone of The Sun article imply San Bernardino County is overdue in changing its policies regarding this topic. “Police agencies from Los Angeles to New York banned officers from shooting int...

The sudden resignation of San Bernardino County’s human resources director leaves a void of leadership in a crucial division and a bad taste in the mouth of county employees who have yet to see consistent integrity from that department. But it also allows the perfect opportunity for new county leadership to remedy past problems. The San Bernardino Sun newspaper re-ported the abrupt resignation of Cindi Peterson Tompkins after only nine months on the job. She was hired to replace the embattled Andrew Lamberto, who resigned after reporters uncovered his arrest for soliciting prostitution, which was covered up by then-CEO Greg Devereaux. L...